Staying Connected At A Conference

There are so many awesome things about going to a conference like BlissDom Canada, but there is one drawback… mobile devices with dead batteries and laptops that need power.

What’s a conference attendee to do?

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This...

These are my tips and tricks for staying connected at a conference, so you won’t miss a photo, tweet, Facebook post or have your laptop die in the middle of a blog post.

1. Check your chargers. Make sure you have the right ones for the right devices.
2. Keep your chargers organized. I use a Ziploc freezer bag to keep all of my chargers in one place when I’m travelling. Easy to pack and easy to find the right cord without dragging them all out.
3. Shut down your apps. Close any apps you aren’t using—they drain battery power like crazy
4. Try using alternate programs. Using Word or Excel on a laptop running on battery power can suck the power like mad. Consider using something like Google Docs for documents and spreadsheets—you can always open them up in your regular program later.
5. Invest in an external battery pack, like the Morphie Juice Pack. This is something that may also be very handy if you’re flying and find your devices are running out of power while you’re hanging out at the airport. 
6. Get into your conference room early. Why? So you can sit at a table that’s right next to an outlet of course.
7. Bring a powerbar. No, not the type you eat, the one you plug things into. Throw a small one into your bag and not only will you not have to worry about charging your devices, you’ll also be everyone’s newest best friend.

I was at a conference once and suddenly in the beginning of a session someone threw up her hands in exasperation and declared, “I can’t do ANYTHING! My iPad just died on me!” Then she sat there with arms crossed in frustration and the world’s worst frowny face planted on her forehead.

Don’t let that happen to you, because if all else fails, if technology lets you down, don’t forget that there is a reason why notebooks were invented. The paper variety, that is.

By the way, if you’re going to the BlissDom Canada conference this year, send me a tweet and tag it #YMCconnect to let me know how you’re doing staying (technically) connected!